Rearwardly striking firing mechanism



@et 19, 1948- G. N. ALBREE 2,451,527

REARWARDLY STRIKING FIRING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 22, 1944 /Lf f Q5 ai? /9 20)45 f2 @"T :F3/'E445 7 a 8&5? )M180 ai@ Za 9+# sa a 4g` m a@ Y; I f 9@ a7 s gg@ 373e 3340 se; g2, 45 34 4e 43 egg-fa 43 .-44 4' Y /4a/ Ma v Iaaveaov.-

M M, @fam y HL Patented Oct. 19, 1948 REARWARDLY STRIKENG FIRIN G MECHANISM George Norman Albree, Winchester, Mass. Application August 22, 1944, Serial No. 550,578

17 Claims. l

This invention relatesto firearms and particularly to iirearms designed for rim fire ammunition.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide an improved firearm of this type in which the detonation of the rim re cartridge is produced by the impact of the iirer element (which may be in the form of aring pin) against the front face of the cartridge rim, and by the term "front face I mean the side of the cartridge rim of a chambered cartridge that faces toward the front of the gun as distinguished from that side of the cartridge rim which forms part of the end face of the cartridge.

In detonating any rim iire cartridge, the rim of the cartridge must be backed up by an anvil element when the detonating impact is made by the ring pin or other rer element, and in the conventional firearm for use with rim re ammunition, the chambered end of the barrel constitutes the anvil member and it backs up the front face of the rim of the cartridge while the detonating impact of the firing pin is made against the rear face of the cartridge.

In my invention the breech block or bolt constitutes the anvil member of the firing mechanism and it is therefore a combined breech closure and anvil member. The detonation of the cartridge is secured by the impact of a rearwardly directed firer element against the front face of the rim of the cartridge, the rear face of said rim and the head of the cartridge being solidly backed up by the combined breech closure and anvil element at the time of such impact.

Another object of my invention is to provide a rearm in which the firing pin is disassociated from the breech block or bolt so that it is possible to use a bolt having a flat face unbroken by any aperture or opening to accommodate the ring pin to back up the head end of the cartridge when the latter is red.

Still other objects of the invention are to provide a firearm with means for securing controlled ignition and thereby greater accuracy; to provide a novel rearm having dual or multiple ignition, thereby reducing the chance of misre; to provide a firearm of simplied construction, and otherwise to improve rearms in the particulars hereinafter set forth.

In order to illustrate the invention, I' have shown in the drawings two diierent embodiments thereof, lone of which involves a xed firing pin, and the other of which involves a movable ring pm.

In the embodiment having a fixed ring pin, the firing pin is located at the end of the barrel adjacent the breech and in position to engage the front face of the cartridge rim as the latter is delivered into the chamber of the barrel. The forward movement of the bolt by which a cartridge is delivered from the magazine into the chamber of the barrel forces the front face of the rim against the firing pin with suiiicient impact to cause detonation of the priming material in the rim of the cartridge, so that the cartridge is actually fired by its movement into the chamber of the barrel. There are certain advantages resulting from this operation which will be more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the case of the movable firing pin said pin is located so that it is in front of the front face of the rim of the cartridge and a suitable means is provided whereby, when the trigger is squeezed, the firing pin will be brought into engagement with the front face of the cartridge rim with a hammer-like blow suflicient to detonate the priming in the cartridge. In this embodiment of the invention the bolt or breech block provides a solid backing for the head of the cartridge when the ring pin strikes the front face of the rim.

The invention can be embodied in either socalled single shot rearms or in rearms which are either semi-automatic or full automatic or both.

In the drawings, wherein I have illustrated two embodiments of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a side view of a firearm embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the firearm shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial section yon the line 4 4, Fig. 2; f

Fig. 5 is an enlarged partial section on the line 5 5, Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the insert which carries the fixed firing pin or pins, said figure also illustrating the manner in which the rim fire cartridge is detonated thereby.

- stock of the iirearm,

- receiving magazine 8 of any usual Fig. 7 is a side view of a nrearm o the Bulette type embodying my invention;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional irearm showr'i in Fig. iring pin and the mechanism for actuating it;

Fig. 9 is a section onthe line 99,Fig. 8. Referring irst to Figs. 1-6, i indicates the 2 the barrel, 3 the receiver, and li the bolt which is backed by the usual action spring Vi. The barrel 2 is mounted in the receiver in any suitable way and is provided at its rear end with the usual chamber for the cartridge S, the bore 'l of the barrel being provided with the usual riiing, not shown. Thd firearm shown in Figs. 1 and -2 is a imagazine irearm and is equipped with a removable construction which receives a plurality of rim fire Lcartridges 6 and which delivers said cartridges successively into the position shown in Fig. 2. In said Fig. 2 the boliJ i is shown in its retracted or cocked position, in which position it is held by the sear 9, the end i@ or" which is adapted to engage a shoulder i l with which the bolt is provided. The sear s may have any suitable or usual construction and that herein shown is similar to the sear and trigger action used in the well-known Springfield ride. The sear is shown as pivoted to the receiver at i2 and is acted upon by a spring i3 which normally tends to throw the end lil of the sear upwardly. The trigger it is pivoted to the sear as shown at i5 and the cammed upper end EB of the trigger bears against the under side of the receiver as shown at i5. With this construction, when the trigger is pulled, the camming action of the part i6 of said trigger against the under side of the receiver will swing the sear downwardly about its pivot, therebyre leasing the poit it from the shoulder H of the bolt, thus allowing the bolt to be drivenforward by the action spring l1.

This action is illustrated herein because it is simple and effective, but any other suitable action, may be employed in connection with my invention.

The spring il is shown as encircling a pin i8 that is mounted in the removable head I9 of the receiver. When the bolt is in its open or retracted position, the iront end of the pin i8 extends into an axial chamber 2G with which the boit is provided, said pin preferably having a running fit in said chamber.Y rThe front end of the boli; l is shown as having a fiat under face which rests and slides on a block 39 with which the receiver is provided.

The bolt l is provided with a transversely extending pin or handle lil which projects through a slot 5i formed in the receiver. This pin or handle pro-vides means by which the bolt can be manually operated, and it also provides means for locking the bolt either in a retracted position or a closed position.

The pin il is provided with a collar 5S and the bolt il is provided with a recess 39 of a size to receive said collar 58. The engagement of the collar with the receiver limits the movement of the pin to the right in Fig. 3 and the recess 49 permits the pin to be moved inwardly o-r to the left in Fig. 3.

At the `opposite side of the receiver from that at which the pin il projects, said receiver is provided with two spaced apertures, one of which is indicated at 52 and is situated opposite the lefthand end of the slot 5l, while the other aperture 52a, which is indicated by dotted lines in View of the 8 illustrating the movable is situated opposite the right-hand end being ci a size to Fig. 2, of said slot 5i, each aperture receive the end of the pin When the bolt is in its cocked` position shown in Fig. 2 the end of the pin l is situated almost but not quite in line with the aperture 52. The end ci the pin is rounded as shown so that when the bolt is in cocked position, it is possible to force the pin il inwardly or the end thereof into the aperture 52. rFhis operation serves to retract the bolt slightly and to lock the bolt ust back. of its cocked position.

The aperture 52a. in the receiver is so situated that it is in register with the pin il when the bolt is in its forward or closed position and there is no cartridge in the chamber 5. When these conditions exist. then the pink il can bs moved inwardly to enter the end thereof into the opening 52a, thereby locking the bolt in its *forward position.

If there is a cartridge in the chamber, the bolt cannot be moved forwardly into a position which will permit the p-in Lil to enter the aperture 52a, and therefore, by easing the `bolt `forward and then testing the pin el, it is possible to tellwhether or not there is a cartridge in the chamber. readily be accomplished in the dark, and this construction, therefore, constitutes a valuable safety feature of the invention.

In this embodiment of the invention the nrer (that is the element which detonates the cartridge by pinching the rim of the cartridge against the anvil element, and which is frequently in the form oi a ring pin) is iixed in position and is located at and projects rearwardly fromk the breech end o the barrel 2 in position to engage the front face of the rim of the cartridge when the latter is driven into the chamber 5 of the barrel by the bolt. While the iirer or firing pin may be provided for in various ways, yet prefer to make it as an integral part of a bushing 2! that is inserted in an axial recess 22 with which the rear end of the barrel 2 is provided. This bushing 2l is provided on its rear face with a rearwardly extending projection 23 (see Fig. 6) which constitutes the rer. Any number of these rer projections may be employed, but I have herein illustrated two of them which are situated diametrically opposite each other. The contact facesvoi the rer may have any desired circumferential dimension. These rer or ring pins are located flush with the bore through the bushing 2i, which bore constitutes a part of the wall of the cartridge-receiving chamber 5. The front face 2t oi the bolt, which constitutes the anvil element is solid and it is preferably provided with a shallow recess 25 of the size to receive the rim of the cartridge.

As stat-ed above Fig. 2 shows the bolt in retracted or cocked position. When the trigger I4 is squeezed the :ear e will be disengaged from the shoulder ii of the bolt, and the latter will be quickly driven forward by the spring Il. As the bolt moves forward, it strips the top cartridge E from the upper end of the magazine il and feeds said cartridge into the chamber 5 of the barrel. The movement of the bolt t, due to the action of the spring Il, is an .accelerating movement, and during the nal forward movement of said bolt `the rim 26 of the cartridge is suddenly pinched between the ring element or elements 23 and the front face of the combined bolt and anvil member. The impact between the front face 2i of the cartridge rimgand the firing pin or pins is sutil-cient to the left, thus camm'mg This testing of the locking pin cank to detonate the priming material in the rim of the cartridge. 'Ihe dimensions of the fixed firing pin or pins will preferably be such that during the final forward movement of the bolt the cartridge rim 26 will be suddenly squeezed together at the points where the firing pin or pins engage it suinciently to detonate the fulniinate in the cartridge.

The gas pressure developed by the firing of the against the fron-t face 2'! of the cartridge rim. This automatic action will continue as long as the pressure on the trigger is maintained .and Iany cartridges remain in the magazine.

If the trigger is released as soon as it has been pressed, Ithe return of the Sear to its operative position by the spring i3 thereof into position to engage the shoulder l l of the bolt as the latter is forced backwardly, thereby holding it in its rearward or cocked position.

It is understood that the nearm will be provided with the usual extractor 23 and the usual ejector 5;

29. These elements are not shown in detail herein because they form no part of the present invention and any suitable extractor or ejector may be used.

will bring the nose I? The operation of a firearm having the cons-truc tion above described is as follows. It will be noted that the weapon fires when the bolt goes forward, that is, the detonation of the Cartridge is accomplished during the nal forward movemen-t of the bolt. For this reason it is important that the bol-t should not be allowed to go home while the loaded` magazine is in operative position, unless it is desired `that the gun should be discharged.

The magazine 8 is removable to permit it t-o be reloaded or replaced by a filled one. Before a filled magazine has been inserted into operative position, it is desirable to try the bolt operation and trigger action by grasping the pin or handle 41 and then pressing the trigger and easing the bol-t forward to its closed position. magazine can then be inserted into its chamber from below where it will be securely held by the usual magazine lock which may be released by pressing the button lll. Any sui-table magazine lock may be used, yand therefore, it has not been thought necessary to illustrate one. The bolt il should then be drawn back by the handle Lil as far as it will go. As the b t reaches a rearward position, the point lll of the sear will be automatically moved up into its operative position in fron-t of shoulder or bent l l. The firearm is then cocked ready to fire. The pressing of the trigger I4 depresses the sear 8 and allows the bolt l to drive forward under the pressure of the recoil spring Il. During its forward movement, the bot tom lip of the bolt face strips the top .round ii from the magazine 8 and as said -bolt pushes the cartridge forward and into the chamber the head of the cartridge slides up the smooth face of the bolt behind the extractor 28 and becomes seated in the The loaded K 'l air break or buffer for recess 25 of the bolt. As the cartridge is driven forward wtih accelerating speed, the front face of the rim 25 containing the priming material is suddenly stopped by the protruding firing pins 23. During the final forward movement of the bolt into closed position, the rim 26 of the cartridge is pinched between the face of the bol-t and the firing pins 23 and the cartridge is thereby detonated.

Ignition takes place while the bolt is still moving forward so that at the instant of detonation of the cartridge the back pressure is against a bolt which has not entirely come to rest.

The gas pressure developed Iby ignition applies a forward force on the bullet which drives it through the bore of the barrel and also a backward pressure on the bolt, but since the weight and consequently the inertia of the bullet is only a small fraction of that of the bolt, the bullet will be discharged from the barrel before the pressure in the barrel has overcome the inertia of the bolt and started it backwards. During the backward movement of the bolt the extractor 28 withdraws the empty case from the chamber, and as said Acase encounters the ejector 29 it is hurled from the gun through the ejection port 74.

This cycle of opera-tion continues as long as the trigger is held back and there are any cartridges in the magazine. If, however, pressure on the .trigger is removedthe sear will again engage the bolt, thereby holding it back in operative position so that bursts of two or three shots may be obtained by simply tapping the trigger. Upon the last shot Abeing red, the bolt is held open, which will allow air circulation through the b-arrel between bursts.

It will be noted that the rear portion of the bolt contains an axial bore 2li adapted, when the bolt is moved into its 2D becomes Icompressed and forms an effective cushioning the backward This compressed air augments the raction of the recoil spring l 'l in starting the bolt on its return forward trip.

One advantage of using two or more firing pins is that the chances of a misire is greatly reduced.

movement of the bolt.

a cartridge which, by reason of a defect in manufacture, has an insucient amount of priming material to produce detonation, thereby causing misiire.

With two or more firing elements, this chance of misre is very greatly reduced and practically nullied.

Moreover by having a plurality of firing pins which are symmetrically disposed, the impact of the firing pins against the rim of the cartridge is balanced throughout the area of said rim.

Where the ring pins are carried by a bushing such as shown at 2| in Figs. i and 6 it is possible to make this bushing removable or interchangeable so that bushings having ring pins with larger or smaller contact faces may be employed depending upon the make of ammunition which is being used. Some makes of ammunition may operate more satisfactorily with ring pins having relatively large contact faces, while another make of ammunition may operate more uccessully when firing pins having a relaltivey small contact lface are employed. By using yuch removable and interchangeable bushings itis cossible to easily and speedily equip the rearm with firing pins having lthe proper size to fit the particular ammunition which is being used. This Eeature of the invention, therefore, provides means for readily controlling @the ignition of the arnmunition.

In the construction shown in Figs. '7, 8, and 9 in which the firing element is in the form of a movable firing pin la indicates the stock, 2a vthe barrel, 3a `the receiver, and 4a the combined bolt and anvil member. The barrel is provided lwith the chamber 5u to receive the cartridge 6 and the bore of the barrel is shown as having the usual riing 1a.

In this embodiment of the invention the firing pin is indicated at 28a, and it is illustrated as pivoted at 29a to the receiver 3a, lthe receiver and the end of the barrel being provided with a slot 33 in which the ring -pin operates. This slot, however, does not break into the chamber 5 of the barrel.

At its upper end the nring `pin has Aa. `short projection 3l situated to engage and deliver a detonating impact against the front face 21 of the cartridge rim 26, the head of the cartridge being at the time solidly backed by the end face of the combined bolt and anvil member 4a. While any suitable means may be employed for delivering a hammer-like blow to the ring pin for the purpose of causing it to produce a detonating .impact against the front face of the cartridge rim, yet I have herein shown for this purpose a hammer element 32 which is slidablymounted in a bore 33 with which Athe barrel is provided and which extends parallel to the rifled bore 1a of the barrel.

This hammer element 33 is backed by a spring 3d which is eonned in the end 35 of the bore The hammer is normally held in its retracted or cock-ed position by means of a suitable sear which in turn is released by pressure applied to the `trigger Mia. Any suitable trigger and sear mechanism may be employed for this purpose and it will be understood that when the trigger is squeezed and the sear releases the hammer, the latter will be moved toward the ring pin by the spring 35 4and will deliver a against the upper end of the firing pin thereby causing `the latter to have its detonating impact against the front face 21 of the cartridge rim 23.

The sear herein and it is provided with a nose 3B adapted to engage a shoulder 31 with which the hammer element 32 is provided. The s-ear is normally held in its operative position shown in Fig. 8 by some suitable spring means, and a suitable connection between the trigger Mica and the sear is provided by which backward swinging movement of th-e trigger will move the sear downwardly out of engagement with the shoulder 31.

lIn the particular construction illustrated the sear is formed with a resilien-t stem portion 38, the end oi which is anchored tothe barrel by screws Eil. rIhe resiliency of the stem 38 tend-s to move the sear 9ct upwardly into its operative posit-ion but permits the sear to be moved downwardly for releasing the hammer 32.

In the construction herein shown the trigger Ilia is pivoted at il to a post 42 which is secured at its upper end lto the barr-el 2a and the upper end of the trigger is connected to the sear by a link e3 one end of which is pivoted to the-trighammer-like blow f illustrated is indicated at 9aA hammer.

ger at 44 and the other end of which vis vpivoted to the sear at d5. A backward swinging movement of the trigger will operate through the link 43 to move'the sear ,downwardly as above described. This post 42 is shown as bifurc-ated and the upper end of the trigger, the link 43 and the end portion of the sear are received `in the slot dormed by the bifurcation .of said post.

I have herein illustrated the hammer 32 as being .provided with a 'shoulder 31 at each end, thus making it reversible so that in assembling the firearm either end of the hammer may be inserted into the bore 33. If desired the "bore 33 may be vented to permit free movement of the Any suitable or usual means may be employed for cooking the hammer element 33, such for instance as a pin (not shown) similar to lthe pin 41=by -which the bolt A is cocked, and which'may be anchored to the hammer element an-d opera-te in and project through a slot with which the stock la may :be provided.

In the type of firearm shown in Fig. 7, the magazine, indicated at 8a, is in the butt end of the stock.

Both forms of lthe invention `as herein illustrated comprise a combined bolt or breech closure and anvil member and also comprise a rearwardly directed firer element situated in front of the combined breech closure and anvil member and in position to engage ithe iront face of the rim of `a rim nre cartridge occupying lthe ring lchamber thereby rto pinch said rim against the anvil member with be detonated.

combined breech closure and the result that the cartridge will I claim:

1. A firearm of the rim nre type, comprising a barrel having -a Vfiring chamber, an anvil member in Ethe rear of the barrel to engage the end of a rim fire cartridge occupying the ring chamber, and means for ldetona'ting said cartridge in said firing chamber, said means including Aa, ring element situated in front of the anvil member lto engage with the front face of the rim of said cartridge lthereby to pinch said rim against the lanvil.

2. A firearm of the rim fire type, comprising a barrel having a firing chamber, an anvil member separate from the barrel situated in the rear thereof, said anvil member having a smooth unbroken face for engagementwith the end face of a rim fire cartridge occupying the ring lchamber, a ring element situated in iront of lthe anvil member, and means to vcause said firing element to engage the iront face of the rim of said ycartridge and pinch it against the anvil member, thereby Ito detonate the cartridge.

3. A rearm fora standard rim fire cartridge -comprising a barrel having a rfiring cham-ber, a combined breech closure and anvil member, a firing Ipin situated in front of the combined breech closure and anvil member, and means to cause the ring .pin to engage the front `face of the rim of la rim re cartridge occupying said ring chamber and to pinch said rim against the combined breech closure and anvil member thereby to fire the cartridge.

4. A firearm for a rim iire cartri-dge comprising a barrel, a ring pin situated in front of the front face of lthe rim of a rim ire cartridge which has been loaded into the barrel, an anvil member situated in the rear of the ring pin and forming a backing for the head -of said cartridge, and means to cause `the ring pin Ito produce a detonating-r impact against said yfront face ofthe icar-- tridge nim while the cartridge is backed by anvil member.

5. A re-arm for a rim nre cartridge comprising a barrel having a nring chamber, a rearwardly directed iring pin carried by the Vbarrel and situated to engage the iront face of 'the rim of a rim re cartridge occupying the firing cha-mber, a combined bolt and anvil member to engage the head end of said cartridge, and means to produce a detonating impact of the ring pin against Isaid front face of the cartridge rim While the end of the cartridge is engaged by the combined bolt and anvil member.

6. A firearm of the rim re type comprising a barrel having -a cartridge-rec-eiving chamber, a 'combined bolt and anvil member for engaging the end of a rim fire cartridge and feeding it into said chamber, and a ring pin carried by the barrel and situated `to engage the front face of the rim of said rim fire cartridge during the inal movement thereof into said chamber by the combined bolt and anvil member, whereby :the nim of the cartridge is pinched between the ring pin and said combined bolt and anvil member, and the cartridge is detonated.

7. A rearm fora rim fire cartridge comprising a barrel having a cartridge-receiving chamber, a combined bolt and anvil member for feeding a vrim nre cartridge into said chamber, and a fixed rearwardly directed firing rel and situated to engage the front face of the rim of such cartridge during its nal movement into said chamber by the combined bolt and anvil member, whereby said rim is pinched between the ring pin and the bolt and the cartridge is detonated.

8. A rearm for a rim re cartridge comprising a barrel having a cartridge-receiving chamber,

an anvil member engaging the end of a rim nre cartridge occupying said chamber, a movable firing pin situated to engage the front face of the rim of said cartridge, and means to give said firing pin a detonating impact against said front face While the anvil member is in engagement with the end of said cartridge.

9. A rearm for a rim fire cartridge comprising a barrel having a cartridge-receiving chamber, an abutment member engaging the end of a rim cartridge occupying said chamber, a movable ring pin situated to engage the front face of the rim of said cartridge, a spring-impelled hammer carried by the barrel for giving the ring pin a detonating impact, and trigger means to control the release of the hammer.

l0. A rearm for a rim re cartridge comprising a barrel having a cartridge-receiving chamber and a recess at it-s breech end, an abutment member for engaging the end of a rim fire cartridge when it is in said chamber, a movable firing pin occupying the recess of the barrel and adapted to engage the front face of the rim of said cartridge, and means to give said firing pin a detonating impact against said front face.

11. A firearm for a rim iire cartridge comprisend of a rim iire cartridge when it is in said chamber, a movable firing pin situated to engage the front face of the rim of said cartridge, a spring impelled hammer carried in -said second bore and adapted to give the ring pin a detonating impact, and trigger meansv to control the release of the hammer.

pin carried by the barff actuated movement of said cartridge into said chamber, thereby to cause detonation of the cartridge.

13. A nrearm for a rim fire cartridge comprising a barrel having a cartridge-receiving chamber, a

rim ire cartridge while it is being fed into said chamber and during the nal movement of the cartridge into said chamber, thereby to cause detonation of the cartridge.

14. A firearm of the rim fire type having a barrel provided with a firing chamber, a reciproprojecting rearwardly therefrom.

16. A rearm of the rim re type having a barrel provided with a firing chamber, a reciprocating bolt for feeding rim re cartridges to the ring chamber, said bolt constituting an anvil member, a cartridge rer adjacent the mouth of the firing chamber for engagement with the front face of the rim of movable to the rear after a cartridge is seated in the ring chamber.

17. A rearm of the rim fire type comprising a barrel having a firing chamber, a combined breech closure and anvil member situated in the rear of the barrel, said member having a at unbroken face free from protuberances for engagement with the end (References on following page) REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

111111111)l STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Wul'len Apr. 30, 1850 Williamson Jan. 5, 1864 Bennett et al. Oct. 7, 1902 Thorneycroft Nov. 11, 1902 McClure Sept. 15, 1914 Becker June 22, 1915 Number Number 

